North Florida Athletics Announces 2025 Hall of Fame Class

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - After a period of nominations and voting, North Florida Athletics has announced its 2025 Hall of Fame Class, featuring five individuals and one team. Joining the prestigious ranks is Philip Knowles (men's golf), Jay Bolt (men's soccer), Navia Penrod (softball), Becky DeJong (volleyball), Mark Cagnassola (men's soccer alum and VIP) and the 2015 men's soccer program.

The class will be formally inducted Friday, January 17 and then recognized at the North Florida men's basketball game against North Alabama Saturday, January 18.

Jay Bolt (UNF Men's Soccer, 2013-16)
The Jacksonville native arrived at UNF in 2013 and was a massive contributor for four seasons in the Navy and Gray, making 57 starts while playing in 62 contests for the Ospreys. Bolt registered 13 points, scoring twice while assisting on nine goals. All told the backnotched 4,983 minutes on the pitch, helping the Ospreys to the 2015 Atlantic Sun Tournament Championship title and 2016 Atlantic Sun Regular Season crown.

Bolt racked up a long list of awards, being named league defensive player of the year in both 2015 and 2016. Four times he was named to the all-conference squad and three times he earned NSCAA Southeast All-Region laurels. Bolt finished his tenure with five Atlantic Sun Defensive Player of the Week honors and three times he took home Atlantic Sun All-Tournament honors.

The Bolles School graduate is now at the helm with the boy's and girl's soccer team at The Episcopal School of Jacksonville.

Mark Cagnassola (Men's Soccer Alumni and Longtime Supporter)
A name synonymous with North Florida Athletics, Mark Cagnassola was the men's soccer program's first-ever scholarship student-athlete in 1991. After graduating with his bachelor's degree in business administration in 1995 and his master's in public administration in 1997, Cagnassola continued his dedicated support to the department as a season ticket holder as the president of the Osprey Club for several years.

With unrivaled passion for the university and its athletics programs, Cagnassola has helped cultivate relationships with countless donors and sponsors. Cagnassola remained in Jacksonville as a financial advisor and long-time resident of the city, serving the community and North Florida Athletics staff as a financial advisor for over two decades.

Becky DeJong (Volleyball, 1995-98)
The dominant four-year letterwinner, Becky DeJong, helped fuel the Ospreys to consecutive Peach Belt Conference titles in 1997 and 1998. In both of those seasons DeJong was named UNF Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year as well as a PBC all-conference pick.

DeJong concluded her career with 1,702 kills, the second-most in program history, while also setting the single season kills record with 549. Her 4.46 kills/set in a season is good for the second-best mark in a campaign, while her 3.68 kills/set over her four seasons ranks third. The outside hitter played in 132 matches, the 8th most by a North Florida student-athlete.

An All-American Farm Team pick and NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship selection, DeJong would finish her career with conference all-tourney laurels in 1998.

Philip Knowles (Men's Golf, 2015-19)
A Bradenton, Fla., native, Knowles racked up a star-studded career in Jacksonville, helping North Florida to NCAA Regional appearances in all four seasons that he had in the Navy and Gray, as well as two National Championship outings. UNF would win the league title in both the 2018 and 2019 seasons, helping him be named to the Atlantic Sun All-Decade team.

On an individual level, Knowles would be named a PING All-Southeast Region honoree three times, while taking home all-american status as a junior and senior. Knowles would cap off his career with Atlantic Sun Player of the Year honors in 2019 and his third of three First Team All-Atlantic Sun honors.

Knowles was honored as the department's male athlete of the year in 2018 and 2019, while taking home a staggering 11 ASUN Golfer of the Week awards. As a senior he was a semifinalist for the prestigious Jack Nicklaus Award. In 2022 he worked his way to earn his PGA Tour Card as a runner-up at the Albertsons Boise Open on the Korn Ferry Tour.

Navia Penrod (Softball, 2016-19)
Touting eye-popping numbers, Navia Penrod's four-year career with the UNF softball team finished in a dramatic and storybook way as she set the conference record for most career hits in her final at-bat. Penrod closed her career with two Atlantic Sun Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors, three first team recognitions, three all-academic laurels, an NFCA All-Region selection, two all-atlantic sun tourney nods and second team all-conference honors as a freshman.

Her career statistical rankings do the talking as she finished first in UNF program history for career hits (285), batting average (.404), highest on-base percentage (.451), at-bats (705), stolen bases (83) and double plays turned (39). She also set the program single season record for most at-bats (206) and most hits (87). Penrod crossed home 148 times, doubling on 35 swings while driving in 83 in 212 games played, all of which were starts.

Team Inductee (2015 Men's Soccer)
Rounding out the UNF Hall of Fame Class for 2025 is the UNF men's soccer for their historic season. During that campaign the Ospreys would go on to win the program's first-ever Atlantic Sun Tournament Title with a 7-0 rout of USC Upstate in the conference title match.

The Ospreys went 7-1-1 at home and 4-0-1 in league play, with four Ospreys being named to the NSCAA All-Southeast Region Team and eight taking home all-conference honors. Helge Pietschmann was named Atlantic Sun Tournament MVP and Derek Marinatos was tabbed as league coach of the year to round out the season.

The program set DI-era single season records of points, goals and wins as the Ospreys advanced to their first NCAA Championship in program history.

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